Across
- 3. refers to the variety of life on Earth at all its levels, from genes to ecosystems
- 4. large environment generally characterized by various abiotic factors
- 6. an area of land with a similar climate that includes similar communities of plants and animals
- 8. Situation in which the number of individuals of a given species exceeds the number that its environment can sustain
- 9. the initial movement of simple organisms, known as pioneer species, into new habitats that have been created
- 14. an organism that helps hold the system together
- 15. a previously occupied area is re-colonized following a disturbance that kills much or all of its community
- 16. those that live in a limited area, such as a mountain range, lake or island, among others
- 18. when chemicals, particles, or other materials are released into the environment, harming the organisms there
- 19. Having no light
- 20. two species can't coexist if they occupy exactly the same niche
Down
- 1. the species that first colonize new habitats created by disturbance
- 2. An ecological community in which populations of plants or animals remain stable and exist in balance with each other and their environment
- 5. all of the food chains in an ecosystem
- 7. partially enclosed, coastal water body where freshwater from rivers and streams mixes with salt water from the ocean
- 10. an organism that causes ecological or economic harm in a new environment where it is not native.
- 11. Having light
- 12. the purposeful clearing of forested land
- 13. complex life form that is a symbiotic partnership of two separate organisms, a fungus and an alga
- 17. relating to water; living in or near water or taking place in water